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1、English Literature of the Renaissance,The Historical Background: (Political, Economic, and Cultural),The Renaissance was an ideological and cultural revolution that swept over all western Europe. Renaissance started in Italy in 14th century and came to a flowering in the 15th and the 16th when it be
2、gan to spread to other countries, notably France, and then Germany, England, Spain and the Low Countries.,This was an epoch of many radical changes in western Europe. Fedual nobility lost much of their power, with the centralization of political and military power that came with the establishment of
3、 the great monarchies necessary for the development of capitalism. (The New Monarchy),Another form of political struggle is The Reformation of the church. Catholicism was at first challenged and then was replaced by Protestantism. The English Bible (King James Bible),Geographical Discoveries (commer
4、cial expansion and broadening the mental horizons) In the commercial expansion, Spain was the rival with England over the sea. At last a war broke out in 1588. it ended with the rout of the Spanish fleet “Armada”.,In the cities the merchants and the master artisans grew in wealth, while in the count
5、ryside the peasants were badly exploited. They either rose in upsprings or ran away to the cities to add to the factory workers. (The Enclosure Movement),In the literary field, the so-called revival of learning, including the study of ancient Greek and Roman literature and philosophy. There was the
6、growing interest in man and the infinite capabilities of man against implicit faith in God.,English Literature in the Renaissance Period,English literature in the Renaissance period is usually regarded as the highlight in the history of English literature.,In Elizabethan period, English literature d
7、eveloped with a great speed and made a magnificent achievement. The greatest and most distinctive achievement of Elizabethan literature is the drama.,Next to drama is the lyrical poetry. Elizabethan poetry is remarkable for its variety, its freshness, its youthfulness and its romantic feeling.,Engli
8、sh Poetry in the Renaissance Period,Thomas Wyatt and Surrey were court poets. They are both top-notch aristocrats and their poetry was more representative of the thoughts and feelings of the nobility. Their contributions to English literature lie in certain innovations in verse form.,Wyatts two cont
9、ributions to English literature consist in his brilliant lyrics on the theme of love and his introduction of the Italian sonnet form into English poetry. Petrarchan sonnet: abba abba(octave) cdc dcd or cde cde(sestet),Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey His contribution lies in writing some of the earliest
10、 love lyrics in Petrarchan fashion and in introducing two new verse forms into English poetry, the English sonnet form and the blank verse.,the English Sonnet(Shakespearean Sonnet) abab cdcd efef(3 quatre) gg(1 couplet). The blank verse, or unrhymed iambic pentametre. 不押韵，但是有节奏，例如 the Earl of Surrey
11、, Thomas Marlowe, Shakespeares drama, milton and so on.,Sidney and Spencer,Court poetry He is chiefly known and remembered for his three works: Astrophel and Stella, his prose romance Arcadia and his critical essay The Defence of Poesie (or Apology for Poetry),Arcadia,Pastoral, as an adjective, refe
12、rs to the lifestyle of shepherds and pastoralists, moving livestock around larger areas of land according to seasons and availability of water and food. Pastoral also describes literature, art and music which depicts the life of shepherds, often in a highly idealised manner. It may also be used as a
13、 noun (a pastoral) to describe a single work of pastoral poetry, music or drama. pastoral reflects the Greek origin of the pastoral tradition.,Apology for Poetry,The School of Abuse an attack on poetry and drama. According to Sidney, poetry was a superiority over philosophy and history.,Edmund Spens
14、er,The poets poet of the period was Edmund Spencer. Spencer was born in a minor noble family, his father being a merchant in London. He was first educated at the merchant tailors school. The poet was fortunate in having Malcaster, an enlightened scholar, for his headmaster.,Because his headmaster he
15、ld that “it is not a mind, not a body, that we have to educate, but a man; and we cannot divide them.” This conception of education was a new thing for the time. Then Spenser studied at Cambridge, where she read the classics and italian poets and wrote poems. He received his M.A.degree in 1576.,In 1
16、579 he wrote The Shepherds Calendar, a pastoral poem in twelve books, one for each month of the year.,The Faerie Queen,The Faerie Queen has been regarded by many literary historians as Spensers masterpiece and one of the great poems in the English language. It is an epic, and according to the authors original plan, was to consist of 12 books, but only 6 books and 2 cantos of the seven were finished.,Story: Writing feature of the poem: Spenserian Stanza abab bcbc c,Canto 1 (Excerpt)
